This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
On November 29, 2019, Sudan's transitional authorities took significant steps towards dismantling the regime of ousted former president Omar al-Bashir. A law was passed dissolving the National Congress Party (NCP), which had been the ruling party for nearly three decades.
Mr. Bashir seized power in a 1989 coup and ruled Sudan until he was overthrown by a protest movement in April 2019. The country is currently led by a joint military and civilian council, as well as a civilian-led cabinet headed by Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok.
The decree dissolving the NCP also confirmed that a committee would be formed to seize the party's assets, with the aim of 'retrieving the stolen wealth of the people of Sudan,' as Prime Minister Hamdok tweeted.
Another key demand of the protest movement was met with the repeal of a public order law that severely curtailed women's rights in Sudan. The law, which was based on harsh interpretations of Islamic Sharia law, was used to arrest and flog women for indecency, including attending private parties or wearing trousers.
Prime Minister Hamdok described the laws as 'a tool of exploitation, humiliation, and violation of the rights of citizens, and a violation of the dignity of the people.' He paid tribute to the young men and women who had endured the horrors of the application of these laws.
On November 25, Sudan held its first march in decades for the International Day for Eliminating Violence Against Women, with women at the forefront of the movement that toppled Mr. Bashir.
